My favorite Public School quote appears to be missing, so here it is...
TEACHERS ARE UNDERPAID, MY ARSE!
Do the math:
40 hour work week divided by 35 week school year = 1400 hours worked yearly
1400 hours worked yearly divided by $58,000. average yearly salary = $41.43 an hour
And the $58,000. average is conservative. I know teachers in the L.A. area making six figure incomes because they get "combat pay" for working in the worst school districts.
40 work week............
add 1 hour per day for arrival and departure duties and cleanup.
add 2 hours per day for prep
add 1.5 hours per day for grading
add 3 hours per week for activities
Now you have an idea. There is no such thing as a 40 work week.
That's funny. For starters, it's a 180 day school year. That's 36 weeks. There are an additional ten days on all contracts. So, that's 38 weeks. Also, teachers rarely work just 40 hours. Try a minimum of 50 hours a week. That's coming early for either morning duty or just to prepare, and staying late for either afternoon duty or to get work done, and prepare for the next day. Now add an additional ten hours per week for work done at home on their own time without pay, and you've got about 60 hours per week. So at 60 hours per week x 38 weeks you're looking at 2280 hours annually.
As of the latest survey in 2004, the national average was 46,752; not 58,000. So, 46,752 divided by 2280 is $20.51 per hour. This is for a job that requires a four year degree for entry level salary, and other specialized degrees requiring up to an additional four years of school and many years of service to get the higher pay with which this average is calculated, and many hours of professional training to maintain certification. We haven't even begun to discuss the money teachers spend out of their own pockets for shortages in supplies that are necessary and must be bought regardless of whether or not the system reimburses the teacher. So your quote about $58,000 being a conservative estimate is not really true.
Yes, we should be good stewards of our tax dollars. Yes, police, firefighters, and the military also deserve to be compensated fairly for their contributions to society. However, I detect an anti-teacher tone in your post which has resulted in a distorted view of what is really going on.
I am a 2nd year teacher, making 29,000 a year. I coach volleyball and track. Therefore, I get an extra 2,000. So now I am up to 31,000 before taxes. During volleyball and track season I am here at 7:00 in the morning and I do not leave until 6:00 P.M. (at the earliest). Then I take papers home to grade and I have lessons to plan. I probably do at least another hour of work at home every night. Some nights and weekends I do much more especially when I am planning an awesome lesson! When I’m not doing track or volleyball, I am still here at 7:00 A.M. and I leave at 4:00 (at the very earliest). Although sometimes I stay and work with students after school. Then, at the earliest, I do not leave until 5:00. Then there is always more work to do at home during the week and weekend.
Luckily, I have just gotten out of college. To get my conditional license I must write a KPA paper. So far I have worked 40 hours on this at home. Once I have finished this, then I will finally get my conditional license for 5 years. Then to renew my license I will need to take classes in the summer to have enough hours and points to renew.
Yes, we get summers off. But thank goodness. I love kids, truly I do, or I would have definitely done something else. But, without those summers, a person would lose their mind!
Lets see if this is right. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I would stay at school (I am going with the least amount of hours I put in) 10 hours and 5 days a week.
That is 50 hours a week (I’m not counting time I work at home or on the weekends)
Then we work 35 weeks a year.
So now I have 1,750 hours a year.
I am paid $31,000 (although 2,000 of that is for track and volleyball and I did not count those hours I work coaching!)
I come up with $17.71 an hour.
My college tuition was 21,000 dollars a year. I believe, we are a little under paid! I only stay with it, because I love what I do. Although, I shouldn’t complain, if I wanted to do something for the money, I know I could have done any job I wanted.